2014 elections preview: Georgia to hold runoff primary elections
July 21, 2014
By Ballotpedia's Congressional team
The primary elections of the 2014 election season will continue with primary runoff elections in Georgia tomorrow. The crowded field of candidates in the race for the Senate seat and three House seats were narrowed down to the top two candidates after the primary elections on May 20, 2014. Georgia law dictates that if no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the top two candidates advance to a runoff primary.[1] The winner will then advance to the general election in November. A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Georgia utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[2][3]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
In Georgia, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Any voter who is waiting in line to vote at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote.[4]
U.S. Senate
The election will fill the Senate seat currently held by retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R). Chambliss was first elected in 2002. On January 25, 2013, Chambliss announced that he was retiring at the end of his current term and would not seek re-election in 2014.[5]
The primary for the open seat was highlighted as one of the top five primaries to watch in 2014.[1] The crowded Republican field included Reps. Paul Broun, Phil Gingrey and Jack Kingston, businessman David Perdue, former secretary of state Karen Handel, Derrick Grayson and Art Gardner.[6] As the top two candidates, Jack Kingston and David Perdue will face off in the Republican runoff primary on July 22, 2014.[7][8][9]
Rep. Jack Kingston has consistently beat out David Perdue in polls of the runoff race since the primary election.
Michelle Nunn, the daughter of former senator Sam Nunn, will face Libertarian candidate Amanda Swafford and the winner of the Republican runoff primary in the general election.[6]
U.S. House
There are fourteen seats up for grabs in the Georgia's 2014 congressional elections. The Republican Party currently holds nine of the fourteen seats.
| Members of the U.S. House from Georgia -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2014 | After the 2014 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 5 | 4 | |
| Republican Party | 9 | 10 | |
| Total | 14 | 14 | |
District 1
Heading into the election the incumbent is Jack Kingston (R), who was first elected in 1992. On May 2, 2013, Kingston announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who will be retiring at the end of this term.[10][11]
The primary elections on May 20, 2014, narrowed down the crowded list of candidates on both the Democratic and Republican tickets, but because no candidate received a majority of the votes in the primary election the top two candidates from each party advanced to the runoff elections.
State Senator Earl "Buddy" Carter will take on surgeon and former Army Ranger Bob Johnson for the nomination on the Republican ticket. Amy Tavio and Brian Reese will face off for the Democratic nomination.
District 10
Incumbent Paul C. Broun (R) was first elected in a special election in 2007.[12] In February 2013, Broun announced that he would not seek re-election, and would instead make a bid for the U.S. Senate seat.[13] Mike Collins (Georgia) and Jody Hice emerged from the crowded field of primary candidates as the top two candidates in the primary election. Because no candidate received a majority of the votes, they will face off in the runoff primary.[14] The winner will take on civil rights lawyer Ken Dious (D) in the general election.
District 11
Heading into the election the incumbent is Phil Gingrey (R), who was elected in 2002. On March 27, 2013, in Augusta, GA, Gingrey announced that he would run for the open U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Chambliss will retire rather than seek re-election to the Senate in 2014.[15][16]
The primary election on May 20, 2014, narrowed down the crowded list of GOP candidates, but because no candidate received a majority of the votes the top two candidates advanced to primary runoff elections. No Democratic candidates filed to run, making the winner of the battle between former Representative Bob Barr and state Senator Barry Loudermilk the winner of the seat.
Loudermilk received endorsements from the Club for Growth, FreedomWorks PAC, the Madison Project and the Georgia Right to Life.[17][18][19]
See also
- List of U.S. Congress incumbents not running for re-election in 2014
- Contested primaries in U.S. Congressional elections, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia, 2014
- United States Senate elections in Georgia, 2014
External links
- Georgia Elections Division
- May 20 Primary Election Results
- July 8 Secretary of State Kemp Releases General Primary Runoff Election Update
- July 11 Secretary of State Kemp Releases General Primary Runoff Election Update
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Washington Post, "The Fix’s top 10 Senate races of 2014," accessed December 10, 2013
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed August 12, 2024
- ↑ Justia, "2023 Georgia Code § 21-2-224 - Registration deadlines; restrictions on voting in primaries; official list of electors; voting procedure when portion of county changed from one county to another," accessed August 12, 2024
- ↑ Official Code of Georgia, "Title 21, Chapter 2, Section 403," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ Washington Post, "Saxby Chambliss retiring in 2014," accessed January 25, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Georgia Secretary of State, "Candidate Details," accessed May 18, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Elections, "Calendar," accessed May 21, 2014
- ↑ Associated Press, "Georgia Election Results," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ Huffington Post, "GOP Candidate David Perdue Makes Last-Ditch Effort To Secure Primary Victory," accessed May 12, 2014
- ↑ Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Jack Kingston declares for U.S. Senate -- and Karen Handel says, 'Don't forget me'" accessed May 2, 2013
- ↑ The Coastal Source, "Congressman Jack Kingston to make announcement Thursday" accessed May 2, 2013
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed June 14, 2013
- ↑ Barrow Patch, " State Representative Considering Run for Paul Broun's Seat in U.S. House of Representatives" accessed April 16, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Associated Press, "Georgia Election Results," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Phil Gingrey rejects gun clip limits, changes course on Todd Akin," accessed March 11, 2013
- ↑ AJC "Phil Gingrey Enters 2014 Race for U.S. Senate" accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ The Madison Project, "Barry Loudermilk for Congress in Georgia’s 11th District," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ Peach Pundit, "FreedomWorks PAC Endorses Loudermilk," accessed November 12, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Club for Growth endorses Loudermilk, Johnson in Georgia runoffs," accessed May 26, 2014
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